A Safe Haven
by Yuri Tora
Summary: The Fairy Tail guild is happy when Evergreen's little sister returns to the guild. But she's not the same as she was when she left… How will they react when they discover her dark secrets? And which one of them will be able to pull her from the darkness of her past? -(Rated M for a reason. Contains lemons. Multiple pairings with one OC.)- *Yuri Tora*
1. Chapter 1: A Lingering Fear

Chapter 1: A Lingering Fear

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><p>This was it. I was finally free. I had been suppressed for so long… but now I could finally take charge of my own life again. The experiences that I had endured had not been easy, but I had overcome them and even learned from them. Everything that I had been through had been my own fault, but I would make sure that nothing like that ever happened again… I wouldn't be able to survive it again.<p>

I took a deep breath of fresh air, enjoying the way the breeze lifted my light brown hair around me. I stepped forward, having the perfect destination in mind. Growing up, there had always been one place that I had always felt safe. And I had friends there. My older sister was there.

I could pick up the pieces of my life and put them back together again… I could make something of myself, and find something to live for again. I would be just fine. I had to believe that I would be okay again.

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><p>I was walking around the outskirts of Magnolia. I had checked the guild hall and the house that the Thunder God Tribe lived in, but I hadn't been able to find her… or anyone that I recognized, for that matter. I'd been too apprehensive to ask any of the other guild members where she was, and I doubted if they would know anyway. I sighed. I should have written her to let her know that I was coming.<p>

"Avari!" A deep voice shouted my name. "Avari, is that you?!"

I turned to see none other than Laxus Dreyar approaching me, waving his arm in the air with a grin on his face. "Laxus!" I exclaimed, happy to see him.

We jogged to meet each other. When I was close enough, he pulled me into a hug. His large, muscular arms wrapped around me and he pressed me into his strong, broad chest. I returned the hug, even though my feet were barely on the ground anymore.

"What's brings you out here, Avi?" He continued to grin as he set me properly onto my feet.

"Well I came to visit my sister and to see the old man, but… I can't seem to find anyone." I shrugged.

"Ah. Yeah it's about time for the S-class trials, so the old man has taken a bunch of them out to Tenrou Island." He shrugged as well.

I arched a brow in question. "Then shouldn't you be with them?"

"Heh heh…" He chuckled nervously and started to scratch the back of his head. "That's actually a complicated story…"

I continued to eye him.

"I, uh… I'm kind of not a member of the guild anymore…"

My eyes widened in shock and confusion. "Are you serious?" It was so unbelievable.

"Yeah." He finally dropped his arm from the back of his head. "But, hey. You're welcome to stay with me while you wait for your sister and the others to get back." The familiar grin found its way back to his face.

"Really?" I smiled. "It won't be any trouble for you?"

"Nah." He waved me off. "None at all."

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><p>He led me to a small cabin that was hidden by some dense trees and thickets. It was secluded, but close enough to Magnolia that we could get there if we needed anything. He had given me a tour, which was very quick since there wasn't much to it. There was only one bedroom, which was his, and after much struggle, I convinced him that I would be fine on the couch.<p>

"So… it's not like you to just show up for a visit." Laxus sat on the couch next to me, handing me a plate of food.

I thanked him as I took it, trying to ignore his statement, but the look in his eyes wouldn't allow it. "Well, let's just say that I have a complicated story of my own."

He gave me a suspicious look, but let it go. "So I take it that Ever didn't know you were coming?"

I swallowed the bite of food that I had taken before answering. "No… I should have written, but… I guess that I was in a hurry." Some silence passed before I spoke again. "I was actually hoping that the old man would let me join the guild…"

Laxus gave me a soft smile. "I'm sure that he will."

I smiled back at him. "Yeah. It's just weird that you're not in it anymore."

"Well your sister, Freed, and Bickslow still are." He spoke with reassurance.

I sighed. "I guess. But I really doubt that things are the same without you." I laughed lightly.

He joined in my laughter. "I can't say whether they are."

We finished eating and did the dishes together. When we were finished I began rummaging through my small bag and grumbling to myself about my lack of clothes.

Laxus chuckled. "I've got a washer and dryer that you can use."

"You do?" My eyes sparkled with eagerness.

He laughed at me. "Yeah. They're on the back porch."

"Yay!" I was way more excited that I should have been. I gathered my clothes and hopped out of the back door. I threw everything into the washer and looked down at what I was wearing. Hmmm… "Laxus?" I called through the door.

"Yeah?"

"I hate to ask, but… do you have something that I can wear while everything is washing?" It had been a while since I had done any laundry… I really wanted clean clothes.

"Sure, let me check."

I watched him go into his room. When he was out of sight I quickly stripped out the clothes that I was wearing and threw them into the wash, starting it as I did. I darted into the bathroom before he could see me.

"Avi?" I heard him call.

"In here!" I cracked the bathroom door.

He chuckled as he handed me some clothes through the small opening. "Here ya go. I'm not sure how well they'll work, since you're so damn small… but…"

"I'll just be sleeping in them." I smiled. "Thank you, Laxus!"

I shut the door and turned around. I spotted the shower and well, it looked inviting. "Do you mind if I take a shower?"

He laughed as he walked away. "Knock yourself out."

I placed the clothes onto the counter and then indulged in a nice, hot shower. It was thoroughly relaxing. When I was finished I dried myself off with a towel from the rack and examined the clothes. They were indeed very large. He had given me a dark red shirt and some gray sweat pants. The shirt went down to my thighs. The sweat pants did not fit at all… even if I did roll them up and tighten the drawstrings all of the way, they still fell off. I folded them up neatly and looked at myself in the mirror. If I didn't move around too much, hopefully he wouldn't see anything underneath the shirt. I grabbed the pants and walked out. Laxus had put a pillow and folded blanket at the end of the couch and was sitting at the other end.

I handed him the pants before sitting down next to him. "They didn't quite work."

"I told you, it's because you're so damn tiny." He laughed at me and set the pants down on the end table.

"Hey! I'm not that small!" I pouted. "Besides, I'm a girl! If I was as freakishly huge as you then that would be creepy…"

"Ha! Yeah, I guess you have a point." He poked my head and leaned in closer. "So does that mean that you're naked under there?" He looked me up and down and lifted his brows suggestively.

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Everyone is naked under their clothes, Laxus."

He grinned. "Yeah, but… you're not wearing anything but my shirt…"

He continued to lean in closer to me. I could feel his warm breath on my face. His fingers brushed across the top of my knee. My breath caught in my throat and I forgot how to breathe. I watched him closely, his bluish gray eyes locked on my silver ones. His arm, which was slung over the back of the couch, encircled around my shoulders and his hand started to play with the long tresses of my light brown hair, which were still slightly damp from the shower.

"I missed you, Avi." He whispered as he looked at me.

I smiled, in spite of how delightfully nervous he was making me. "I missed you too, Laxus."

He grinned. His face inched closer so that his lips were just a pucker away from mine. I could feel my heart beating heavily in my chest. Part of me wanted him to go ahead and close the distance and kiss me. He made me feel safe and comfortable… happy even. And I ached for closeness… for intimacy… or maybe just companionship. I wasn't sure. Another part of me was reminded of what I had gotten myself into in the past… and I was frightened. Because of that very hard learned lesson, I didn't want to be close to anyone. I was terrified of what intimacy could make me vulnerable to. I was wary of letting anyone in. A meaningless encounter… I could handle that. But nothing about Laxus was meaningless. He was different. He'd always been different. Maybe because he was different… then he wouldn't hurt me? This was a terrible feeling… Would I ever be able to trust anyone again?

Just then, the washer started buzzing. I was literally saved by the bell. I jumped up, startled by it, and left a clueless Laxus behind as I darted to the back porch. I was breathing heavily, trying to settle myself down, as I tossed the clothes into the dryer. I started it up and I leaned against it for a few moments, trying to regain some composure.

"Avi? Is everything alright?" There was concern in Laxus' voice as he called to me.

I struggled not to sigh. I forced a smile and went back into the living room. "Yeah, Laxus, everything's fine."

He eyed me skeptically, but nodded.

I returned to my seat, pushing all of my inner turmoil to the back of my mind, effectively ignoring it.

He wrapped his arm around me without a second thought. He sighed contently as he pulled me into him. I curled my legs up onto the couch and snuggled into his side. This was nice. I had missed the feeling of being close to someone without having to worry about them turning on me at any moment. Laxus had always been a comfort to me. He was just so strong… and caring… and passionate… But still, fear lingered deep in my gut.

"Tell me what you've been up to since you've been gone." Laxus' voice was steady and smooth. It calmed me.

I smiled. I left out a lot of the things that had happened to me, but I told him about some of the adventures that I had been on. He, in turn, told me about some of his. He also left out the "complicated story" that he had mentioned earlier. We talked well into the night. It had been such a long time since I had laughed so much. I was beyond grateful that we had run into each other.

It was hours later and my eyes were starting to droop against my will.

He was chuckling in amusement. "Are you sure that you're gonna be okay on the couch?"

I nodded while I yawned. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

He glared at me skeptically. "Just take the damn bed."

I huffed stubbornly. "No!" I wrapped the blanket around myself and plopped down to lie on the couch, my head landing comfortably on the pillow at the end.

He was still sitting at the other end. He sighed, finally giving in. "Fine. Just come and get me if you need anything, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah…" I was already slipping off into slumber.

He laughed softly as he stood up and crouched down to kiss me on the cheek. I felt myself blushing as he walked away.

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><p><em>I was cold. It was dark and I was alone. I pulled my knees to my chest and leaned against the wall, my face wet with tears. I could hear him coming down the hall. Dread filled me. Please… not again. He opened the door and light poured in from the doorway, temporarily blinding me.<em>

_"__What are you doing?" His deep, raspy voice did not sound happy._

_I looked down at the floor, hoping that he would just leave me alone. It was an unrealistic hope._

_He grumbled beneath his breath. "Get the hell up, it's time for bed."_

_I didn't move. I knew that if I didn't move it would only make him angry, but I couldn't bring myself to obey. I was just so tired of living like this._

_"__Dammit, Avari!" He growled. He pulled me up from the floor by my hair and pushed me roughly against the wall. "Why can't you ever just do what I tell you to do?"_

_My eyes met his. I felt empty… I felt cold._

_He sighed. His dark violet eyes softened, if only a little. "I'm sorry about earlier… You just make me so damn angry sometimes…" His fingertips gently brushed the bruise that he had left on my cheekbone._

_I winced when pain sparked through the cut as he touched it._

_His jaw tensed at my reaction. "Dammit, Avi… I said that I was sorry." His voice was low and strained._

_I bit my lip. I didn't want him to be angry again. I wasn't sure if I could take it. "I'm sorry, too." I whispered, barely audible enough to hear… but of course, he could hear anything._

_He smiled at that. He kissed my lips, ignoring yet another cut that decorated my lower lip. A heavy, sinking feeling gripped me from the inside and tore at my heart. I kissed him back… in order to appease him. At least, that's what I told myself. He pulled away after a few moments and smiled down at me._

_He pressed his forehead to mine. "I love you, Avari."_

_A fresh pool of tears trickled down my face, the salt burning the cuts as they ran over them. "I love you, too…" I whispered._


	2. Chapter 2: To Tenrou Island

Chapter 2: To Tenrou Island

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><p>I woke up all snuggly and warm, a sharp contrast to the cold, lonely dream that I had during the night. I cuddled further into the bed and felt an arm wrap around me, holding me close. I was comfortable. I was content. Wait… bed? …arm? The hell? I blinked my eyes open and stared around me. I was in a bedroom. And I was burrowed into Laxus' shirtless side, using his shoulder as a pillow. I blinked a few more times, just to be sure of my surroundings.<p>

Laxus stretched and yawned beneath me. "Hey, you awake?"

I leaned up so that I could look down at him. "Yeah… How did I end up in here?"

He rested his arms behind his head and watched me carefully, concern clear in his eyes. "I heard you crying in your sleep… You'd calm down when I'd stroke your hair or arm or something… and I didn't want to wake you… so I just brought you in here."

I let his words sink in. I cried in my sleep? "Oh… Thank you, Laxus."

He gave me a soft smile. "Yeah." Then he reached up and pulled me back down into his arms, catching me by surprise. "What were you dreaming about anyway?"

I sighed, nestling into his warm, muscular embrace. I had been dreaming about the man that I used to love… the man that had taken my heart, and then taken my life. "Maybe I'll tell you some other time."

He gave me an unhappy look, but he let it go.

We lied in the bed for a while as he stroked my hair. My thoughts drifted as I wondered how my sister and the others were doing. When Laxus' other hand began to caress the skin on my bare leg, it didn't even bother me… it felt nice. In fact, I think I leaned into it. My body developed a will of its own and it molded against his, pressing me further into him. He must have taken this as a sign of encouragement, because he rolled us so that I was on my back and he was hovering over me, one hand still tangled in my hair and the other gripping my thigh and using my leg to pull me closer to him. He was grinning down at me. My heart skipped a beat… or several beats, actually.

"Laxus?" I heard myself whisper his name.

His palm was warm on my thigh. His fingers brushed against my flesh in a pleasing way. "Avi… Do you remember that time that you went on that mission with me and the Thunder God Tribe?"

I nodded my head slowly. It was before I had met the man who had shredded up my life. It was when I was still a wandering mage who enjoyed life and its adventures.

"And do you remember when we were guarding that cargo? Just you and me?" His grin was making my blood rush.

I nodded again. "We had to stay up all night to make sure that it wasn't stolen… while my sister and the others went to investigate the other thefts." I mumbled.

His grin widened. "Yeah… and do you remember what we did so that we could stay up all night?"

I could feel my face getting hot as I blushed. "We played strip poker."

He chuckled as he nuzzled my nose with his. "And you lost… but I was a gentleman, so I got naked, too."

I bit my lip at the memory. My heart was thumping erratically against my chest. Dammit. Why was he bringing this up now?

"And do you remember what happened next?" His fingers were making their way further up my thigh, which made it hard for me to concentrate.

"Well…" I struggled to catch my breath. "We didn't really spend much time watching the cargo…"

He chuckled and his breath fanned across my face. "No, we sure as hell didn't…" He leaned in so that he could whisper in my ear. "That's because we were too busy enjoying ourselves… with one hell of a fuck."

I gasped when he licked the shell of my ear and then bit down on my lobe, dragging it through his teeth. I let my body do my thinking as I reached up to run a hand over his enticing abs, my other hand pulling me closer to him with a firm grip on his protrusive bicep. His lips clashed against mine in a heated kiss, our bodies closing the gaps to meet each other. He nibbled my bottom lip and I opened my mouth to let his tongue push in, ravaging every bit of it. My tongue met his and they engaged in a savory battle. His hand moved up to grip my bare ass, squeezing it firmly and causing me to moan into the kiss. His other hand moved down from my hair, brushed teasingly over my breast, and then found a comfortable spot on my waist.

I was all instinct now, every haunting thought cast aside. I rocked my body against his, feeling his hardening manhood through the fabric of his pants against my warmth. I smiled at the sensation. Laxus pulled his lips from mine and trailed kisses down my neck, sucking and grazing with his teeth as he went. His hand moved from my ass, back to my thigh, and towards my center. I gasped when he ran his fingers over my slick entrance.

He chuckled. "You're so wet, Avi."

"I can't help it if you turn me on." I answered with a grin.

"Damn right I do." He growled the words out as he shoved his finger inside of me.

I moaned and arched my back to meet him.

He lifted the shirt that I was wearing and ran his tongue over both of my nipples, breathing teasingly on them afterward. His finger pumped in and out of me at an agonizingly slow pace. He began to pinch and tease one nipple with his fingers as he sucked and nibbled the other one with his warm mouth. He was being completely torturous.

"Laxus, please…" I moaned the words. I was so close to reaching an orgasm that I couldn't think straight. But he wasn't going fast enough.

His chuckle vibrated against my nipple. "Please, what?"

I bit my lip and groaned. "Please just fuck me or something. If I don't have an orgasm soon then I'm gonna die."

He added another finger but continued his slow pace. "You're so dramatic, Avi." He laughed, amused by my torment.

I groaned again. I tried moving my hips against him, but he took his hand from my breast and used it to hold me down, laughing as he did. When my moans turned to whimpers he moved his mouth from my nipple and slowly dragged his tongue to my clit. He gave a quick lick over the sensitive area, causing me to twitch. He laughed at that, too. I wanted to glare down at him, but I was too flustered. He licked again, longer and firmer this time, and my entire body shivered in response.

"Do you really wanna come, Avi?" His breath blew onto my sensitive areas, creating a tantalizing sensation.

He wanted me to beg… And dammit, I didn't even really care at this point. "Yes, please, Laxus… I want to come. Please let me come."

He pressed his lips to my clit and grinned. His fingers increased their pace and curled inside of me. Everything came crashing down all at once and I was sent hurling through a very intense orgasm. When I finally came out of the pleasure filled haze, I realized that Laxus had finished removing my shirt and taken off his pants. He was pressing his lips to mine and I was kissing him back. I ran my hand down to grip his hard manhood. It was thick and long, just perfect. I massaged him as he thrust himself into my hand. I tried to roll us over so that I could be on top, but he wouldn't let me.

"No way in hell." He said firmly. "I'm not letting you do to me what I did to you." He gave me a sly grin before grabbing my wrists and pinning me to the bed. "So just get that outta your head right now."

"Aw, but Laxus!" I whined. I had been looking forward to some payback. "That's not fair!"

"All is fair in love and war." He licked my lips before biting my lower one.

I pouted when he let go. "But Laxus…" I tried to give him a sultry look. "I wanted to taste you…"

He chuckled. "Maybe next time."

The idea of a "next time" made my stomach flutter. Strange, considering that we weren't even finished with this time.

I grinned. "Well, since you won't let me on top… How do you want me?"

He stopped nibbling my neck to answer. "Every way that I can get you."

With that, he let go of my wrists, grabbed my hips, and plunged himself deep into me. I cried out from the intense feeling that it gave me. He wasted no time as he started to thrust himself in and out of me, hitting my spot with every go. My nails dug into his shoulders as I gripped onto him, my body moving against his in a state of bliss. It didn't take long for me to reach another orgasm. After I did, he sat up and pulled me onto his lap, still plowing into me. My legs were wrapped firmly around his waist and he held my hips as he moved in and out of me. I wrapped my arms around him to hold myself close, feeling his muscles flex beneath me. His hands moved to my ass for better leverage as he continued his amazing assault.

"Fuck, Avi… You feel so amazing." He groaned into my ear.

I leaned my head onto his shoulder, biting down on his neck. "Mhm."

"Come for me. Come again, Avi."

I moaned loudly and the pressure snapped again when he bucked his hips and sent me into another orgasm. "Oh, Laxus!"

"Yeah, that's right…" He grinned at me as he lowered us onto the bed again. "One more time, okay?"

I struggled to catch my breath as he pulled my legs up onto his shoulders and started pounding into me yet again. He was reaching a whole new angle, and I could barely withstand the pleasure. I screamed out, over and over, and called his name. My body moved with his, all on its own. My fingers laced their way into his hair, running through his spikey, blonde locks. Just when I thought that the sensations could not be any more intense, he moved his hand to my center and started to finger my clit.

"Oh, Laxus! Fuck! Laxus!" I screamed and moaned uncontrollably.

"That's it, Avi!" He groaned along with me. "Yeah! Fuck, yeah!"

All at once everything exploded around me. Waves and waves of pleasure coursed through me, tingling through my nerves. He continued for only a moment before his body tensed and he, too, experienced his climax, collapsing on top of me shortly afterward, his head resting on my chest. Everything pulsated around me and neither of us moved for several minutes.

When I felt like I could breathe properly, I lifted my arms to test them for movement. They felt heavy, but seemed to otherwise be in working order. I rested them on his back and used one hand to stroke his skin while the other landed in his hair and played with it gently. I sighed in contentment.

He sighed, too. "That was one damn good fuck." I could hear the happy grin in his voice.

"I'm glad that you're satisfied." I smiled.

"More than satisfied… In fact, I don't think there's a word for what I am." He turned his head enough so that I could see his grin.

"I guess we'll just have to make one up, then…" I grinned back at him.

"Ha." He laughed. "I'll leave that nonsense to you." He bit my nipple, since it seemed to be easy enough to do, as it was right in his line of sight.

I squealed and laughed along with him.

* * *

><p>We had showered and eaten breakfast. I had also, to his disappointment, gotten dressed in my own clothes. We were taking a walk when Laxus got this strange look in his eye. I watched him questioningly.<p>

"Hey, Avi?"

"Yeah?" I could tell that something was definitely on his mind.

"What do think about just going to Tenrou Island?"

I blinked, trying to register the question. People that weren't members of Fairy Tail weren't supposed to be allowed on the island… even I knew that. I shrugged. "Do you think we should?"

He shrugged back at me. "Why not?"

There were quite a few reasons "why not" but not many reasons as to why we should… but something seemed to be bothering him, so I didn't want to object. It's not like I had anything better to do, anyway. And I did want to see my sister and the others… as well as the old man. I shrugged again. "Okay. I'll go if you really want to."

He smiled. "Then let's go."

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><p>We had acquired a small sail boat and were on the open sea, on our way to Tenrou Island.<p>

"It's hot. And I don't like boats… or any vehicles for that matter." I groaned, leaning my back against the side and staring up at the clouds, trying to distract myself.

"Stop complaining." Laxus was lying down on his arms and also watching the clouds.

"I know for a fact that you're not a fan of vehicles, either." I stated matter-of-factly and stuck my tongue out at him.

"Yeah, but I'm not complaining about it." He grinned at me and returned my gesture, sticking his tongue out playfully.

I rolled my eyes, grinning back at him.

"So, we've got a while before we get there…" His tone was a clear hint that he had a motive.

"Yeah… so?" I lifted a brow and eyed him suspiciously.

"So… How about we share our complicated stories? Ya know… since we're stuck here on this boat, and all…" Yep, there's the motive.

I giggled. "You really wanna know what happened with me, don't you?"

"Yeah." He smiled. "Don't you wanna know what happened with me?"

I had to admit, I really, really did. I sighed. "Yes. I do."

He shrugged. "Then what do you say?"

I thought for a moment. I hadn't shared my story with anyone. And I hadn't planned on sharing it either… not even with my sister… especially not my sister. I didn't want anyone to know about the terrible mistakes that I had made, or about how sickeningly weak I had been. But… maybe, if he told me his story first, I could gauge it and decide how much of my story to tell him afterward. I may not end up having to tell him much at all. "Okay."

He sat up, eager to hear.

"But I have conditions!" I added before he could get too excited.

His expression changed to display his thoughtfulness. "Okay, what are the conditions?"

"You can't tell anyone. No one. I don't want anyone, not my sister, not the other members of the Thunder God Tribe, not the old man, no one in Fairy Tail, absolutely no one, to know about this…" I waited for him to nod before continuing. "And I don't want you to judge me for it… I don't want you to pity me, get disgusted, or look at me differently at all…" Again, he nodded before I continued. "And you have to tell your story first. I'm not going to tell you anything unless you can agree to all of this." I made sure that my voice and facial expression were stern. I had gotten more attached than I would have liked to Laxus, and I didn't want to lose him to something like this… I wouldn't even consider telling him at all, but I was afraid that by not telling him that I would offend him in some way.

He thought for a moment and several expressions passed across his face. "Avi… First of all, I'm not gonna tell anyone. Your secrets are safe with me. I wouldn't dream of betraying your trust that way… Second, I would never judge you for something that you've done. I see you for the way that you are now, for the person that you are, and for who you're trying to be. And I hope that you can do the same for me… Lastly, I don't mind telling my story first, if you can make me the same deal on those first and second conditions." He grinned cheerfully.

He was so cheerful, in fact, that I couldn't help but grin back at him. "Okay, then. It's a deal."

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><p><strong>I hope that everyone reading is enjoying the story so far :)<strong>

**So what do you think Avari's story will be? 5 points if you can figure it out ;D**

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><p><strong>PrincessOzora8, thank you for the review! I hope that you enjoyed the update :)<strong>


	3. Chapter 3: A Lot to Learn

Chapter 3: A Lot to Learn

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><p>"So I did something really stupid, and now I regret it every day..." Laxus finished telling me about how he and the Thunder God Tribe had tried to take over Fairy Tail… and how he had been exiled from the guild.<p>

I had listened to him in silence, taking in every word without interruption.

"But the only thing that I can do now is move on from it. And try to become a better man, so that I don't make those same stupid mistakes again… so that I don't take what I have for granted." He was staring up into the sky, wearing a nostalgic expression.

I nodded. "Sometimes we have to learn our lessons the hard way… I know that I did."

He met my eyes then. "So, what lesson did you learn?"

I sighed. "I met a man…" My eyes drifted as I thought of him, but I could still feel Laxus watching me. "He was strong, daring, and confident. There was something about him that drew me to him… I must admit, I didn't really know much about him when I started traveling with him. But I was a wandering mage, set out for adventure, so it didn't really matter to me at the time… He was a dragon slayer due to the implantation of a dragon lacrima, like you. I told him about my own dragon slayer magic, and he laughed about my memories of Krystallos… but I didn't let it bother me much. There were just so many other qualities about him that lured me in."

I paused as I thought about his mesmerizing eyes, deep and violet… his gravity defying, dark red hair… his arrogant smirk and the way he'd look at me… his deep and resounding laugh… I sighed, again. "It was all too easy to fall in love with him. And at first it was euphoric, like a dream. He was protective and endearing. Every day with him was new and exciting. But somewhere along the line, his protectiveness changed into possessiveness. He became very controlling and jealous. He nearly killed any guy that talked to me. He didn't like anyone, aside from him, talking to me, for that matter. I couldn't even write a letter to my sister without him getting suspicious. After the jealousy came the violence… He'd get angry, and just lose control. He'd apologize right after, and like a tool, I'd forgive him. It was only later that I found out that he was a member of a dark guild…"

I took a deep breath and chanced a quick look at Laxus. I averted my gaze immediately. His entire body was tense and his fists were clenched at his sides. Even though he hadn't said anything, I could tell that he wasn't the least bit happy with my story so far. And it would only get worse from here. "I met the other members and inadvertently discovered what they were planning to do. For the first time since Krystallos had left me, I felt completely terrified. I tried to run, but he found me. After that they held me captive, making sure that I never had the chance to escape and ruin their insane plans."

I could feel a dull ache in my chest. The memory of having the man I loved turn out to be a criminal… and then having him hold me against my will… it was still more painful than I'd like to admit. "He still called me his. And since I was all alone, I'm ashamed to say that I relied on him for comfort. I think a part of me was still in love with him… I think that part of me will always be in love with him. It wasn't until his guild was defeated and an investigation was set into motion that I was finally set free of him, only to be taken into custody by the Magic Council. After they determined that I was being held against my will, and after days and days of grueling questions, they at last let me go. That was when I decided to go to Fairy Tail… I don't feel comfortable being alone anymore… Not that I feel comfortable around people either… But, I figured that at least with my sister, I could maybe feel a little bit safe again."

He was silent for a long time. I worried how he would feel about everything that I had told him. Would he think that I had been weak? I sure as hell thought that I had been weak. Would he be disgusted that I had stayed with a man that had abused me? I was disgusted with myself. Would he think that I was stupid for getting caught up with him in the first place? I thought that I was stupid. Would he laugh at me for my lack of self-confidence? I wanted so badly to be the confident person that I used to be.

When he finally spoke, it wasn't anything that I had expected. "Tell me who this bastard is… so that I can hunt him down and make him pay for hurting you." His words were grounded out through clenched teeth.

I was surprised by his response. It wasn't pity… sympathy? …empathy? He cared? I composed myself so that I could answer him. "He's currently imprisoned by the Magic Council. It doesn't matter anymore…"

"Of course it matters, Avari. That asshole hurt you, tormented you, and held you against your will… He'd better pray that we never cross paths, because I'll make him wish that he was never born." The threat and menace in his voice was very real. I knew that he meant every word that he said.

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><p>We made it to Tenrou Island to find it in a state of disarray. Grimoire Heart was attacking and it looked like several of the Fairy Tail members had already been defeated. We saw Grimoire Heart's ship, where it looked like an epic battle was taking place, and Laxus decided that would be our destination. We rushed to it without any hesitation, determined to provide any help that we could. I watched in awe as Laxus bolted through the ship in front of me, landing a fierce blow on the man known to be Hades. I dropped in after him, administering a blow of my own before landing beside Laxus. I took in my surroundings quickly, seeing several of the people that I knew and loved scattered and beaten around us. I barely listened to Hades' shocked question of our arrival. But I did notice when Laxus charged him again, delivering a harsh headbutt. I flitted about the room, checking on everyone and helping them crawl out of the rubble that some of them had been buried under.<p>

"Laxus? Avari? What are you two doing here?" Erza asked, a mixture of relief and surprise in her voice.

I smiled at her, but Laxus was the one to answer. "Well, Avi wanted to see her sister and the old man, so I brought her out here and figured I'd visit Mavis' grave while I was at since, ya know, I'm a former member of Fairy Tail and all…" He grinned cockily. "Imagine my surprise when I find that the second Guild Master has betrayed us, and even gone so far as to attack the guild that he used to protect… I think that we should show our respect by making a grave for him, too."

Needless to say, Hades wasn't too thrilled with Laxus' suggestion. But I got a good laugh out of it. I gathered everyone to a safe corner in the room and erected a barrier to keep them safe from the lightning and dark magic that was exploding throughout the ship. Laxus was holding his own, until he took a hit from one of Hades' Amaterasu spells. Laxus fell to his knees and I dove into the battle, defending Laxus' fallen body with my own.

"I guess I've still got a lot to learn…" Laxus mumbled with a smile.

I formed yet another barrier to protect Laxus and quickly called on my Crystal Dragon Scale Armor before lunging toward Hades. He laughed maniacally at my efforts, babbling about how we needed to learn our place. I called for my Crystal Dragon Fang Spear and plunged it forward in an attempt to pierce him, but he was able to leap away from my attack. He used spell after spell, but I was able to dodge every one of them. With a Crystal Dragon Roar I blew a hole in the side of the ship, finally hitting him. But he had used some sort of spell to absorb most of the damage. I was getting tired, having to use continuous magic energy to supply the barriers, along with my armor and spear. I was able to significantly damage him, but he used my exhaustion to his advantage and landed an Amaterasu spell on me. My armor absorbed quite a bit of the magic, but it shattered, along with my spear, and I was low on magic energy. I panted as I faced him off, mustering one last roar. He countered with a dark magic attack. Our magic met in the middle and clashed in a great explosion, causing us both to be tossed backward. Unfortunately, after an immense struggle, his overpowered mine and I was overwhelmed with pain. My entire body ached and every breath wracked through me with tremendous strain. I didn't feel as if I could move. Hades laughed in triumph. I could hear everyone screaming in the distance as my barriers shattered.

Knowing that Laxus and the others were in danger was unbearable for me. I saw Hades making his way toward Laxus, and I urged my body to move. My muscles screamed in agony as I crawled my way toward him, barely even leaving the ground. He was on his knees, facing Hades with determination. I positioned myself in front of him, forcing my body first to my hands and knees, and then to a kneeling position, before I stood straight on my knees, my arms hanging useless beside me. Still, I stared Hades down, refusing to give in.

Laxus laughed softly behind me. He placed a hand on my shoulder. "It's alright, Avi, you've done enough…" He whispered. "Thank you."

I turned to see the smile on his face. It made me feel warm.

"Hey." He yelled loud enough for the others to hear. "Even though I'm not a member of Fairy Tail anymore… Do you think it's still alright for me to get angry… if something happened to the old man?"

Natsu answered him, his fist clenched in front of him with determination, his voice loud and inspiring. "You sure as hell can!"

Laxus nodded and it seemed as though he had come to a conclusion about something. He pushed me to the side and shot out a lightning bolt towards Natsu, wrapping him in lightning. Hades then, having gotten up and finally reached us, attacked Laxus with dark magic. I was completely out of the way, thanks to Laxus shoving me away. I screamed in horror, along with Natsu and the others. Laxus collapsed to the ground, telling Natsu that he'd given him all of his remaining magic.

"But why? Why would you do that?" Natsu asked, still upset at Laxus for taking the attack and confused by the situation.

"Because… it's not about being strong or weak." Laxus answered with a smile still on his face. "Someone with the Fairy Tail mark should defeat this guy… not me. So go on, Natsu. Kick this guy's ass. Give him back all of the hell that he's caused Fairy Tail… and make him pay for what he's done."

Natsu nodded, finally understanding, and resolution swarmed his features. "Right. You got it, Laxus. I'll take care of this. Just leave it to me!"

I felt myself smiling as I watched Natsu rush off to meet Hades in battle once again. I gathered my strength and again made the effort to crawl my way toward Laxus. "Hey, dumbass…" I whispered when I reached him.

"Hey, goofball." He whispered back.

I smiled as I brushed some dust from his face. "You didn't have to push me outta the way like that…"

He rolled his eyes as he grinned at me. "Yes, I did. Otherwise you would have tried to take the blow…"

I laughed, but the motion sent shocks of pain throughout my torso, which made me cringe uncomfortably. "Yeah, well..."

"I think I'm going to pass out, now… Don't do anything stupid or get yourself anymore beat up, okay?" He closed his eyes, but he was still smiling.

I sighed and laid down beside him, stretching out my limbs to be as comfortable as I possibly could, which wasn't very comfortable at all. "Yeah, yeah…" I drifted off into slumber, hearing the sounds of fighting in the distance.

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><p><strong>Hmmm… who do you think the man that Avari was talking about is? The description pretty much gives it away, I think ;)<strong>


	4. Chapter 4: Rejoining Fairy Tail

**5 points to Skymist675! :)**

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><p>Chapter 4: Rejoining Fairy Tail<p>

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><p>I woke up when Hades was screaming about his power being lost. It was a beautiful sound. I had gained enough energy to stand again, and I could move without too much pain. I watched, beaming with pride and happiness, as Laxus punched Hades right in his big ugly face. After that, we were able to finish him off. It seemed like everything had worked out just fine.<p>

* * *

><p>We were back on the island, trying to regroup with the other Fairy Tail members. I was looking forward to seeing my sister and the other Thunder God Tribe members again. That was… until the old man started yelling. I watched wide eyed, afraid that he would pop a blood vessel… I mean, the redness of his face and the size that his head reached could not have been healthy. Laxus just shrugged him off with a deadpanned expression, which only served to further aggravate the old man. I decided to intervene.<p>

"Hey, gramps!" I skipped in between them, crouching down to his eye level. "Sorry about everything, but… Laxus is only here because I got into some trouble and needed to see you and my sister..." I decided that it would be best if I took the blame. "So he was kind enough to bring me to you guys, since I didn't know where you were." I grinned nervously, hoping that would be enough to pacify him.

He huffed a few more times before breaking into a beaming smile. Bipolar, much? "Oh, well, if that's the case, then I suppose it's alright!" He shouted happily. "It's so good to see you, Avari! You're just a gorgeous as ever, might I add! I'm so glad that you came to see us!" He continued as he beamed from ear to ear.

"Perverted old man…" I heard someone mumble, but I wasn't sure who had said it. It made me giggle.

"Oh my goodness! Avari! Laxus! I can't believe you're both here!" Three distinct voices began shouting, mostly for Laxus, before the two of us were mauled by the Thunder God Tribe. My sister hugged me until I couldn't breathe, and Bickslow spun me around in the air as he and his dolls laughed insanely. Freed fawned over Laxus but managed to spare me a hug. I laughed at their antics. Laxus just chuckled sheepishly.

* * *

><p>Being back at the Fairy Tail camp made me feel like I was home again. I realized that it was because I was surrounded by people that loved, cared for, and trusted each other… they were loyal and protective, and they were able to laugh together and even have rivalries without malice or ill will. This was true friendship… this was love. I sighed, wondering why I had ever even left in the first place.<p>

"Is everything alright?" the old man took a seat beside me, serious now.

I nodded. "It is now… I think."

He nodded back at me. "You mentioned that you had gotten into to trouble… is that true? Or was that just a cover to keep me from yelling at my grandson?"

I laughed a little before answering. "It's true… but the trouble is over now. Now I think I'm just looking for a place to… I don't I know… feel safe again."

"I see." He looked thoughtful. "Well you know that you're always welcome at Fairy Tail. Even though you left, I never stopped thinking of you as my daughter. And if you need someone to talk to, well, I'm here for that as well."

I smiled. "I was hoping that you'd say that. I want to join the guild again… if that's okay."

"Of course it is, Avari." He returned my smile before his face went solemn. "And we'll protect you… I don't know what it is that you're running from, or hiding from… but we're all here for you."

My eyes widened. I shouldn't have been surprised… He was always able to see right through people. "Thank you…"

I let my mind wander. The threat of Erik was finally behind me. Here, with my friends, I could finally move on… I let out a sigh of relief. I looked up to see my sister waltzing over to us. She had been getting her injuries treated so now I assumed that she was coming to check on me.

"So, little sis', I'm all better now!" She announced. "Did you already get your wounds taken care of?" She eyed my un-bandaged injuries pointedly.

"They're fine." I waved her off. "Actually, I had something that I wanted to tell you." I changed the subject.

"Oh, really?!" She clapped her hands excitedly. "What is it?!"

I grinned up at her. "I'm going to join the guild again!"

"Oh, yay!" She shouted happily before pulling me up into a hug. "I'm so happy to hear that, Avi!" She swung me around and then drug me over to where mostly everyone was gathered. "Did everyone hear that?! My little sister is going to join the guild again!" She made the announcement and every shouted excitedly.

I blushed from all of the attention. I wasn't used to being in the spot light… it was unusual for me.

"Haha! Look at that! She's blushing!" Bickslow ripped me from Ever's arms and pulled at my cheeks teasingly while his dolls echoed around us. "blushing, blushing!"

It made me blush harder. "Knock it off, Bickslow!" I laughed, swatting at his arms and trying to rip his hands from my face.

He decided to just put me in a headlock and muss up my hair, laughing all the while. "You're just so darn cute!" He licked up the side of my face, making my eyes go wide as I shivered at the feeling of his tongue on my cheek.

"Bickslow!" I shouted in my shock.

Everyone around us just laughed.

* * *

><p>I had finally gotten free of Bickslow and I was lying on my stomach in between Erza and Ever, basking in the sun. Some of the other girls were with us, too. I had been introduced to the members of the guild that I didn't know, and they had all seemed nice enough. Lucy was a bit cheery, Juvia was a bit strange, Gajeel was actually kind of cool, and Wendy was a cute little girl. I was more than surprised to see Lisanna alive and well. But my surprise quickly turned to hysteric laughter when Laxus started to pull at her cheeks to make sure that she was actually real. And apparently there a whole lot of other talking cats, like Happy, and they were actually called Exceeds. I was happy to see that everyone else was mostly the same as when I had last seen them. Erza was still awesome. Natsu was still rambunctious. Gray was still pretty laid back. Mirajane was still kind and considerate. Elfman was still all "manly" and stuff. Gildarts was still an old, yet dashing, pervert. Yep, not much had changed, aside from the new additions.<p>

Apparently, something had happened between Elfman and my sister… everyone kept teasing them, and they reacted by blushing and yelling out denials… I made a mental note to ask her about it later. Of course, I would never ask her around these maniacs, because then I'd never get a straight answer out of her.

"Hey, Avi!" Mira's light voice rang through my thoughts.

I faced her, still lying on my stomach. "What's up, Mira?"

She smiled happily at me. "I found a guild stamp in my bag… Do you want to go ahead and get the Fairy Tail mark?"

I smiled back at her. "Sure! Now I just have to think about where I want it…"

"And what color!" She reminded me.

"You should get green." My sister suggested.

"I think you should get red." Erza said from my other side.

Ever rolled her eyes. "Get green. And get it on your chest, like me."

"That's so tacky. Get red, and put it on your arm, like mine." Erza argued.

I looked back and forth between them, still lying on my stomach, considering what I should do.

"I know!" Bickslow shouted from somewhere behind us.

I heard him approaching. "What do you suggest, Bickslow?" I asked the question without turning to face him. I figured I might as well humor him.

Before I could comprehend the situation, he was on top of me, sitting on my ass, his legs straddling my body. I tried to turn around so that I could push him off, but he used one of his arms to apply pressure to my shoulders and hold me down. With his other hand, he stamped the tool down onto my lower back, between my shirt and shorts. I squealed as Evergreen and Erza just watched the scene in immobilized shock.

"Bickslow!" Mirajane was the only one with enough sense to move, and she stormed forward, jerking the stamp back out of Bickslow's grasp. She looked down at me and her eyes widened. "Oh, dear…"

"Dammit, Bickslow!" I wiggled enough so that I could lean up and turn to look at what he had done.

There was a bright blue Fairy Tail symbol on my lower back, just above the hem of my low-rise shorts and under the hem of my tank top. He was grinning proudly, still on top of me, admiring his artwork.

I gaped at him. "Did you seriously just give me a tramp stamp?!"

He burst into a fit of insane laughter. "Yeah, I totally did!" His dolls were also laughing, strangely enough. "But it looks so freaking cute on you!" He put his hands on my waist and leaned forward.

I rolled my eyes. "Get the hell off of me!"

At this point, we had gathered an audience. Most of them were laughing, while others were gaping. When I realized that people were watching, I started blushing again. I slapped my palm against my forehead.

Evergreen laughed as she finally came to my aid, pulling Bickslow away by the ear to get him off of me. He yelped in pain and flailed about, crying about how abusive she was. I sat up and tried to get a better look at the mark. Erza and Mira leaned in to look at it as well.

"It's not that bad…" Erza commented.

"If you really hate it, then I can fix it when we get back to the guild hall." Mira smiled reassuringly.

"I think it looks good." Lucy smiled cheerfully.

"Me too!" Wendy agreed.

"Ya know, Bickslow was right… It really does look cute." Gray smirked down at me.

I blinked up at him, feeling my cheeks start to get warm again. "Thanks, guys…"

"It's pretty sexy, if you ask me." Gajeel's raspy voice broke through as he pushed the girls aside and leaned in for a closer look.

"So Bickslow gave you a tramp stamp, huh?" Laxus spoke up then, and now he was leaning down to examine the symbol. "Damn, that's hot."

I knew that I had to be blushing about ten different shades of red. I looked up at Ever pleadingly, my eyes screaming for help. She was still holding Bickslow by the ear. She laughed down at me before swooping to my rescue.

"Alright, that's enough! My sister deserves some personal space, here, gentlemen!" She shooed them all away as she pulled me from the center of the group.

I sighed in relief.

* * *

><p>All of our fun was short lived when it seemed like hell itself had broken loose. A black dragon swept through the air, destroying all in its path. We ran, by order of our master, to the ship. I wanted to stop. I wanted answers. Maybe this dragon knew about Krystallos… but this dragon was nothing like my father. So I ran with the rest of them. When the old man tried to hold off the dragon for the rest of us, it felt like the world was ending. I couldn't stand to leave him behind. But he demanded that we all follow his last order, in spite of our protests. Laxus, even though I could tell that it was very painful for him, was forced to not only leave him behind, but to grab Natsu and convince him to do the same. I hated running.<p>

When the old man was overwhelmed by the dragon, no longer able to hold him off, we all decided to rush to his aid. Together we fought to defeat the dragon… but even with our combined attacks, we didn't stand a chance. We were not enough to overcome it. There was nothing that we could do… except stand together. So we joined hands, preparing for the final assault. Together, we vowed that we would return home… to Fairy Tail.

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><p><strong>Yeah, so, Avari was talking about Erik, aka Cobra.<strong>

**Next time she'll wake up with everyone else after seven years of stasis. And then she'll have to readjust to the guild… how do you think she'll handle it after everything that happened with Cobra and her time on Tenrou Island?**

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><p><strong>Skymist675, thanks for answering :)<strong>

**icecreamnova, thank you! I hope that you enjoyed the update! :)**


	5. Chapter 5: Readjusting

Chapter 5: Readjusting

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><p>I woke up to a lot of commotion. There were some Blue Pegasus guild members on the island, as well as some additional Fairy Tail members that I was sure hadn't been there before… Wait, when had I fallen asleep? And what had I been doing? My head felt fuzzy… The dragon! I looked around, watchful for any sign of danger, but there didn't appear to be anything wrong. I sat back down, confused, and rubbed at my head, trying to clear it.<p>

"You okay, Avi?" Laxus sat down beside me.

I looked up at him and nodded out of reflex, but I was very confused. "What's going on?"

Before he could answer, Natsu started yelling about the same thing… questioning what had happened, where the dragon had gone, and what the other people were doing here. Everyone gathered in the same area, waiting for answers. The answers that we got were not the ones that we expected.

None other than Mavis, the first guild master, explained what had happened. Seven years… we'd been sleeping in a state of stasis on Tenrou Island for seven years… I could scarcely believe it. Seven years had gone by while the world changed around us, and we had been oblivious to it all. Seven years now separated me from him… I wondered if he was still imprisoned, held captive for his crimes… I wondered if he had known that I was missing… I wondered if he cared at all…

We were reacquainted with guild members that had changed in the seven years of our so called disappearance. And then we made our way back home… just like we had promised.

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><p>We made it just in time to see some losers attacking our guild. We made quick work of them. And then, of course, we commenced with a big party in the new guild hall. I was happy to drink and sit with Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe. Everyone welcomed me back with the others, as if I had never left before. I was grateful for that. It meant that I wouldn't have to avoid explaining what had happened to me in my time away from them. I met a few more new people, along with some members from Lamias Scale.<p>

There was one girl in particular, Kinana, whom had joined Fairy Tail just before everyone had gone to Tenrou Island. She made me extremely uncomfortable. I wasn't sure what it was, but she made the familiar fear nag in the back of my mind. She seemed nice enough, in spite of the fact that she seemed to be a little clueless, but I was sure that I knew her from somewhere. But where?

"Hey, Avi!" Bickslow's voice interrupted my thoughts and his hand waved in front of my face.

I was sitting in between him and my sister. I blinked and looked up at him.

"Pay attention! I just challenged you to a drinking contest!" He grinned happily.

I shrugged. "Alright."

"Laxus?" Bickslow turned his attention across the table.

Laxus pushed Freed from his shoulder and shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

Freed latched back onto him and was reprimanded by Ever for being too clingy.

After an intense drinking contest that ended up involving half the guild… well, I passed out. When I woke up the next day, the party was still going on. I rubbed my head and wondered what I had fallen asleep on. Something, or rather someone, groaned underneath me.

"Whoa. Remind me never to drink against Cana ever, ever again…" A deep voice rumbled from below me.

I realized that I had passed out on top of Gajeel. I sat up, only to sway and nearly fall back down.

He steadied me, though, as he sat up behind me and caught me by the shoulders. "You okay there?"

I blinked and looked back at him. "Yeah, thanks."

He grinned at me as his hands trailed down from my shoulders to my waist. "No problem." His breath fanned across the back of my neck and I shuddered. He slowly lifted us both to our feet, still holding onto my waist from behind.

"Avari!" Evergreen and Bickslow were both looking for me. "Avi! You alive?!"

Gajeel nuzzled his face into my neck. "Guess I've gotta let you go now…" He pressed his lips against my skin and then chuckled as he walked away.

I had chills… pleasant chills. After a moment, I gathered my senses and was able to answer my sister and Bickslow.

* * *

><p>Laxus had said repeatedly that he wasn't rejoining the guild, but when it was time for him to go, the Thunder God Tribe still cried and pleaded for him not to leave. He had to literally pry Freed and my sister off of him. I was also sad to see him go. But he grinned as he left and something about the look in his eye told me that it would be okay.<p>

* * *

><p>I had moved into the Thunder God Tribe house with the others and was adjusting to being a Fairy Tail member again. Evergreen had taken me shopping and gotten me a whole new wardrobe. I had protested, but she insisted, saying that it was her job as my older sister to take care of me. I got a lot of shirts that only covered my top half and a lot of bottoms that were low rise so that my Fairy Tail symbol would stay visible. Since Bickslow and several others had freaked out when Mira asked if I wanted to change it, I had decided to just keep it the way that it was.<p>

I dreamed of Erik nearly every night, but they weren't all bad dreams… some were happy. There were the occasional ones where I dreamed of him after it had all gone wrong. The first time that I had woken up from one of the bad dreams, I was surprised and confused to find Freed in my bed with me. He quickly explained that Laxus had told him to keep an eye on me at night because I hadn't been sleeping well, so he had put an enchantment on the wall between our rooms, since his room was next to mine, that would allow him to hear me at night… and when he heard me stirring, he came in to comfort me and ended up falling asleep. I thanked him and was flattered that he cared enough to go through that much trouble. After that, he would spend the night with me every now and then. He was a gentleman, so he didn't make any inappropriate moves or ask any prying questions. He just comforted me when I needed it.

Bickslow had found us in bed together one time when he had come to wake me. And he had woken the whole block by screaming in terror, his dolls echoing him in a pitch high enough to break glass. I had laughed at him and walked away, leaving him in his panicked state. I later heard Freed explaining to him and Evergreen that nothing had happened between us and that he had only been comforting me through a nightmare. Upon hearing that, Ever had asked me about my nightmare… but I had waved her off, telling her that it was nothing.

I had gone on some missions with various members of the guild. I was still too nervous to spend too much time with anyone, so I wouldn't do any missions that were too far from home. I needed to be able to retreat to my own thoughts every once in a while.

Right now I was on an escort mission with Gray. It had been easy enough and we were already on our way back home. We had been delayed, however, and were going to have to stay in a hotel for a night before making it back to Magnolia. We found one and rented a room with two beds. I went into the washroom to change into my sleep shorts and tank top. When I emerged, Gray was sitting on his bed wearing only his boxers… which really wasn't all that unusual, considering that he was well known for his stripping. I put my day clothes into my bag and sat down on my bed with a book. I wasn't all that tired yet and I needed something to distract myself.

"Hey, Avi…" Gray's voice was soft in the quiet room.

"Yeah?" I looked up from my book to see him watching me.

"I wanted to talk to you about something…" He wore a thoughtful expression.

I closed my book and tilted my head to the side. "What is it, Gray?"

"Well, it's just…" He paused, as if he were wondering how to word what he wanted to say. "It's just that you've been kind of different since you got back."

I struggled to keep my face blank. He'd noticed? Damn… who else had noticed? "What do you mean, Gray?"

"You've been distant." He seemed to be more confident now, the words coming from him more freely. "You don't smile as much as you used to. You keep to yourself and spend a lot of time staring off into space. And you're not as outgoing and carefree… What happened to you, Avi?"

I sighed. I couldn't help it. Was I really that transparent? "Nothing for you to worry about, Gray."

He came over and sat beside me on my bed, eyeing me carefully. "But I do worry, Avi. I care about you…"

I suddenly felt like my personal space was being invaded. I knew that he was only trying to reach out to me… to express his concern for me… but it made me feel exposed. I wanted to shield myself from him. "Please, Gray… I don't want to talk about it."

He nodded, understanding clear in his eyes. "Okay, Avi." He wrapped his arms around me in a comforting embrace. "I just want you to know that I'm here for you."

My every instinct was telling me to push him away, but there was a part of me that craved the closeness. I leaned into his chest, allowing him to hold me. His skin was cool and soothing. He ran his fingers through my hair, and I actually liked the feeling… it calmed me. I traced the Fairy Tail symbol on his chest with my fingertips, trying to forget the panic that I had experienced only moments ago. He leaned back onto the bed, taking me with him, and we situated with my head on his chest and his arms still around me.

We laid like that for a while as he continued to stroke my hair and I simply trailed my fingertips on his chest. After some time, he moved a bit so that he could kiss my forehead… then my cheek… and then my lips… His lips were cool and soft on mine. I returned his kiss, pushing back the uneasy feelings that rose up in my mind. I didn't want to think right now. He shifted us so that his body was over mine. His hands caressed my body slowly and sensually. His tongue brushed my lower lip and I opened my mouth, granting entrance. His tongue dove in and engaged mine in a swirling battle. I hadn't even realized that my legs were intertwined with his until I felt something hardening against my thigh.

He pulled away suddenly, breathing heavily. "I'm sorry…"

I tried to catch my breath. The fog in my head began to clear and the fear started to rise within me. I couldn't get close to anyone… it hurt, and I was just too scared. I looked down at his chest, avoiding eye contact. "It's okay…" I whispered, doubtful even as I said it. I didn't want to push him too far away, but I didn't want to make myself vulnerable, either.

He sighed as he gently took me back into his arms, pressing my head to his chest and lying down onto the bed. I relaxed in the embrace, trying to ignore every anxious thought that rose into my mind. Eventually, we both drifted off to sleep.

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><p><strong>Next time, Avari goes out for a drink… who do you think she decides to go out with?<strong>

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><p><strong>icecreamnova, I thought it would be funny… lol. Thanks for reviewing :)<strong>

**Guest, thank you!**


	6. Chapter 6: Inebriation

Chapter 6: Inebriation

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><p>Since our mission together, Gray had been extremely watchful of me. Now that he knew that there was something wrong with me, he didn't want to let me out of his sight. It was like he was afraid that I would crumble into pieces if he turned his back, or something. He was constantly asking me how I was and making sure that I wasn't alone, which was nice of him, but it was also a bit nerve-wracking. I liked to be alone. And when he went off on missions with Natsu, Erza, and the others, he was always begging me to go with him, so that he wouldn't have to worry about me, but of course I would refuse. It was nice that he was worried about me, and sometimes it would spread a warm feeling through me, but it was a little overwhelming… I had been on my own, away from the guild, for so long, that I wasn't used to anyone caring this much about me anymore. And the fact that he knew there was something bothering me… just made me feel exposed. He was at least discreet about it, so none of the other guild members noticed, especially since they were all distracted by this new girl, Michelle, showing up for Lucy. Juvia noticed, of course, and she wasn't very happy about it. But I tended to avoid her. And my sister noticed... She was always watching me, too.<p>

"So…" She had finally cornered me. "I've noticed that Gray has been pretty protective of you… ever since the two of you got back from that mission." The tone to her voice was prying.

I sighed. I had been hiding in Bickslow's room, since he and Freed were out, but she had still managed to find me. I had hoped that the piles of clothes and other strange messes would discourage her from venturing in here, but no such luck. "I don't what you're talking about, Ever." I smiled innocently up at her.

She leaned down and waved her finger in front of my face. "Don't you give me that! I've seen the way he hovers around you. Now fess up!"

I wanted to laugh. She was so amusing when she got like this. Then an idea popped into my head, and I grinned. "Okay, Ever. I'll tell you about Gray… if you tell me what's going on between you and Elfman."

She immediately started blushing and retreated to the opposite side of the room, tripping over one of Bickslow's weird piles of randomness and falling into the mess. "I d-don't know w-what you're t-talking ab-bout!" She stuttered.

"Oh?" I laughed out loud, seeing as she had repeated what I had said to her. "Cause I've seen the way you two blush and get all giddy around each other, Ever!" I stuck my tongue out at her and pointed accusingly.

"We most certainly do not!" She blushed harder as she shouted indignantly.

I kept laughing. I had successfully changed the subject. She continued to spout out excuses in her flustered state as I kept antagonizing her, just as a younger sister would do. I was singing about them kissing in a tree when Bickslow burst into the room.

"What the hell are you two doing in my room?!" He looked back and forth between us, trying to absorb the situation.

"Nothing!" Ever shouted and darted past him and out of the room, nearly knocking him over in the process.

Bickslow turned to me, removing his mask and arching a brow. "The hell was that about?"

I was red from laughter. I fell back and accidentally knock over another pile of clothes and I don't even know what. Oops.

"Jeez! You stupid girls totally wrecked my room!" Bickslow shouted as he kicked some of the junk around.

I flew up and looked at him with wide eyes. "Are you kidding me?! It was already a mess when we got in here!"

"Nuh-uh! I had everything in organized piles! Now look at it!" He gestured to the now scattered piles around him, his dolls flurrying about as they echoed him.

I quirked a brow. "Seriously? Organized piles?" I giggled at him. "You're ridiculous."

His eye twitched. "Just help me fix it!" His dolls squealed after him.

I spent the next hour or so helping Bickslow fix his weird ass piles… which he was apparently very particular about. It was actually pretty funny.

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><p>I had snuck out of the house without anyone noticing. It was a beautiful, clear night with a full moon and I wanted to go for a walk. Full moons reminded me of Krystallos… he had loved to watch them. I absentmindedly fiddled with the crystal necklace that he had given me. Again, for another countless time, I wondered what had happened to him. He had taken me in after my sister had run off because she couldn't control her magic… and I was all alone. We had never really known our parents, and she had always taken care of me, but she was afraid that she would turn me into stone… so she had left me. But Krystallos had found me not long after, and he had become my father. He taught me so much more than magic… I wished that I could talk to him now. He always knew the right thing to say and do, and I needed his advice now more than ever. But he would probably be so disappointed in me. I had been so foolish and become so weak, after all. Who would want a daughter like me?<p>

"Hey." A gruff voice reached my ears.

I turned to see Gajeel behind me. "Hey." I stopped and waited for him to catch up to me.

"What are you doing out here so late at night?" He asked as he made it beside me.

I shrugged as we fell into step together. "It was a pretty night, so I wanted to go for a walk… what about you?"

"I was out training and lost track of time." He scratched the back of his head.

I tilted my head to the side as I watched him. "So where's Pantherlily?"

"He went on ahead a while ago." He seemed distracted by something.

We walked in silence for a while… it was a peaceful quite. Then, suddenly, he stopped abruptly and caught my wrist. I turned to look at him, confused at his action.

"Wanna grab a drink?" He gestured to a bar that was still open, serving drinks on a patio.

A drink actually sounded pretty good right now. "Sure. I'd love to." I smiled at him, earning a smile in return.

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><p>A few hours had passed and we were still on the patio of the bar, drinking, and exchanging stories about our dragons. We had already had several rounds, and we were getting quite loud, but no one really seemed to mind, because everyone else was in the same condition. With enough alcohol, I had let down some of my barriers, and I was able to laugh and enjoy myself. I listened while Gajeel told me another story about Metalicana.<p>

"Wait, so he seriously threw you off of a mountain?!" I asked him, wide eyed and completely engulfed in his story.

"Yeah! Just because I said he was acting like a grumpy old man!" Gajeel laughed as he recalled the memory.

"That's crazy!" I tried to picture a tiny Gajeel being thrown from a mountain by an iron dragon. The thought made me laugh.

"And he was even cranky enough to make sure that I landed safely in a mushy mud puddle." Gajeel added, still laughing. "From then on, I made sure to run after I insulted him."

I struggled to breathe through my laughter. The mental image of a tiny, mud-covered Gajeel spitting out an insult and then running from a giant, angry dragon was just hilarious. "Wow! I can't say that Krystallos ever threw me off of a mountain… but he did have a habit of throwing me into the lake that we stayed by."

"Really?! Is it 'cause you called him cranky?!" Gajeel seemed to be excited at the thought of me being tossed into a lake.

"No! It was usually because I'd piss him off by not waking up when he wanted me to… I used to be a real heavy sleeper... And I would ignore him in the mornings. So he would toss me into the lake."

Gajeel burst into laughter all over again. "That's awesome!"

"It is not!" I poked his chest. "He'd even do it when it was cold and snowing! It was cruel and unusual!"

Gajeel only laughed harder. "Can't be worse than being thrown off of a mountain and into a pile of mud."

I glared at him and tried to hide my laughter. It didn't work.

We were brought another round of booze and I took a gulp gratefully. There was nothing like inebriation to help you forget your worries. Everything that I had been worried about just sort of faded away. I couldn't even remember why I had been so anxious and afraid in the first place…

"So. You seem to be really close to a lot of people in the guild." Gajeel's laughter had settled and he was changing the subject. "I hear that you were a part of it when you were a kid… so why did you ever leave?"

I tried to process the question. In my hazy mind, it took a great deal of effort to piece the words together and figure out their meaning. When I finally did, I didn't even hesitate to answer, because I couldn't seem to make the effort to keep my barriers in place. "My sister had left me when we were little, before Krystallos found me… and then Krystallos left me… I wandered for days, looking for him… and then my sister found me. She had joined the guild. She had been looking for me. So I joined it, too. But I still wanted to find Krystallos… I stayed in the guild for a while, because my sister was there… and Natsu, he was looking for his dragon, too… but I spent a lot of time wandering, looking for Krystallos… and there were so many people who told me that dragons weren't even real. But I knew that Krystallos was real… he was my father. When I got older, I decided to become a wandering mage, so that I could spend my time looking for clues about dragons. The old man said that I could stay a member, but it didn't feel right… since I wouldn't be taking any jobs… and I didn't want him to be responsible for anything that I did..." I realized that I was rambling. I wondered if anything that I had said even made sense. I looked up to Gajeel to see him watching me with understanding in his eyes.

He nodded at me. "Yeah, I can get that... I spent a lot of time looking for Metalicana… when I was younger. And even now, if I hear anything about dragons, I can't keep myself from going after it…"

I sighed. I missed Krystallos.

"I'm sure that whatever reason they had for leaving us had to be a good one… They were our fathers, after all. And fathers don't just leave their children." Gajeel spoke reassuringly.

"Not good ones, anyway. And dragons are the best fathers…" I added.

He chuckled. "Yeah. So we're sure to see them again."

I nodded. "Right." I smiled at him.

Some moments passed and then he shouted. "We need to get you a cat!"

I blinked. And then I bust out laughing.

He chugged the rest of his drink and stood up, holding out his hand to me. "Let's get outta here."

I chugged my drink as well before taking his hand and letting him pull me to my feet. "Okay."

I wasn't sure where were going, but I didn't really care. I was in a blissful, alcohol-induced haze. I could tell that Gajeel was also feeling the buzz from the crooked smile on his face and the light dusting of red on his cheeks. He looked pretty adorable like that. And I had never noticed how attractive all of those metal studs were…

I let him pull me along, back out onto the sidewalk, happy to go wherever he wanted to.

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><p><strong>So Avari and Gajeel spend some time together… where do you think they'll end up?<strong>

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><p><strong>icecreamnova, I'm glad that you're enjoying it! This story hasn't been getting as much feedback as my other ones have so I wasn't sure if it was any good… but as long as you're reading, I'll keep updating. Thank you for reviewing :)<strong>


	7. Chapter 7: Instinct

Chapter 7: Instinct

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><p>Sunlight crept in through the window, in spite of the heavy curtains. I squeezed my eyes shut, not ready to face the day yet. I was feeling a bit dizzy, but luckily I didn't have a headache. I rolled over, eyes still closed, and snuggled further into the pillow. Some hair tickled my nose, so I fanned all of my hair out behind me. The hair continued to tickle, and as much as I moved my hair, I couldn't get it to stop. So I finally grabbed onto the chunk of hair and tugged, trying to rid it from my face.<p>

"Agh!" A manly voice yelled from in front of me.

I jolted up, eyes wide, and looked down at my clenched hand.

"Let go, dammit!" He yelled again.

I unfurled my fingers and released the thick, raven hair from my grasp. The room spun around me. What the hell was going on? Gajeel?

He sat up beside me and rubbed his head. "What the hell did you do that for?" He grumbled.

I stared at him, trying to figure everything out. He was shirtless, and it was very distracting. The sheets pooled around his waist, and I wondered if he was wearing any clothes at all. "I… uh… I'm sorry." I mumbled, still very dizzy and confused. I quickly looked down at myself, wondering if the unimaginable had happened, but I was relieved to see that I was still wearing my half halter top and shorts under the blankets.

"If there were a lake nearby I'd toss you into it…" He grumbled again before throwing himself back onto the bed and burying his face into his pillow.

I felt myself blushing. Why the hell was I in bed with Gajeel? I tried to remember what had happened last night. We had gone for a walk… then to a bar… then we'd gotten a bit buzzed… maybe a little drunk? And… we'd left the bar… and I didn't want to go home! Because I was scared of running into my sister… I didn't want her to grill me for being out so late, or demand to know who I had been with, or ask to know all of the details… And when I had started freaking out about it… Gajeel had just brought me to his house… and then we'd just fallen asleep? Right? Oh, I hoped that was all that had happened…

"Will you lie the fuck down? It's too early for this shit." Gajeel glared at me through one eye, because the other was still closed against the pillow.

Something in me reacted to his demand and I obeyed immediately, lying down and placing my head back onto the pillow next to his. Even though I knew that he wasn't actually angry, and that it was just his usual personality to speak that way, I couldn't keep that small part of me, which had been beaten and broken into submission, from cringing in fear and doing exactly what I was told to avoid punishment. It made me feel weak and cowardly. It was humiliating… to know that this still existed within me. The basic human instinct to avoid pain… but I wasn't even in any danger. I was frustrated and disgusted with myself. How could I be so weak?

"Did you sleep alright?" He whispered, breaking me from my thoughts.

I nodded. Then I realized that he couldn't see. "Yes, thank you."

"Good." He rolled onto his back and stretched his body out.

In spite of everything, I couldn't keep myself from watching him. The way his muscles moved beneath his skin was just so enticing. What the hell was wrong with me? Stupid primal, dragon instincts… His chest and abs were so well sculpted. The metal studs on his body glinted in the small amount of sunlight, a catching contrast against his smooth, tanned skin. His arms were so muscular and toned. Again, the sheets pooled at his waist. I bit the edge of my lip, wondering what was underneath…

"Like what you see?" There was amusement in his gruff voice.

I looked up to see a wide smirk adorning his face. The look in his red eyes clearly said that he had been watching me. Dammit. I had been caught in the act. I released my lip and looked away, trying not to blush. "I don't know what you mean."

He chuckled. And the next thing I knew, I was underneath him, my body pinned beneath his and his arms on either side of me. I gasped in surprise, no longer able to keep the blush from rising to my cheeks. He laughed down at me. Without another word, he began to plant kisses along my jaw… then trailed them down my neck, nibbling softly. I shivered and a slight moan escaped my lips. His teeth traced their way to my collar bone, where he bit down and sucked, causing me to moan louder. His hands ran down my body, one landing on my waist and holding me, his palm hot on my skin, while the other slowly made its way to my breast… where it began to massage through my shirt.

I felt hot and breathless. It was taking all of my restraint not to reach up and touch him. And oh, how I wanted to touch him… "Ga-Gajeel." I whispered his name, stuttering as I did.

"Mhm." He hummed against my neck, sending another wave of shivers down my spine.

I suddenly forgot why I had ever wanted to resist this. As his hot, slick tongue ran across my neck, I lost all train of thought. My fingers brushed against his arms, feeling warm skin, and I realized that I wanted more. I arched my body against his as I ran my hands up his arms and shoulders, down and up his back, and then down and up his chest. I groaned, satisfied at the feeling.

I got so caught up in him that I didn't even realize that he had untied my top until it slipped from my body and his warm hands were groping my breasts. I gasped and moaned at the sensation, writhing beneath him. When his hot mouth latched onto my nipple, I lost all sense of self control. Before I realized what I was doing, I had removed his pants and was gripping his hard manhood. He growled as he clashed his lips against mine, biting down on my lower lip and dragging it through his teeth before pushing his tongue into my mouth to swirl with mine.

He made quick work of my shorts and underwear, removing them from my body and tossing them to the side. I was naked underneath him, and he was naked over me. I was still pumping his length in my hand, and his hips were moving along with me. His fingers brushed over my moist entrance before circling over my clit. I moaned and arched against him. Then two of his fingers plunged inside of me, teasing me from the inside as I continued to grasp onto him. We worked each other into a frenzy, until finally he pulled away and trapped both of my wrists, pinning them at my sides. I breathed heavily and looked up at his wild grin, only getting more turned on by it.

He rubbed his length against my warmth, teasing me as he grinned. I bit my lip to restrain my moan and looked down at where our bodies connected. Damn. Who knew the metal studs would be there, too? I was strangely aroused by it. His hands released my wrists and ran down my body.

He clutched my hips and whispered into my ear. "Brace yourself."

My legs wrapped around him in pure instinct as he pulled me up by my hips and rammed himself into me. I screamed out in sheer pleasure as he filled me, stretching me from the inside and going in deep. His hands moved to grip my ass and he pulled my bottom half upward, arching my back, as he kneeled up on the bed. With only my shoulders and head still on the mattress, he began to thrust himself in and out of me, scraping along my front wall and hitting my spot with every plunge. I couldn't keep from screaming as I helplessly gripped the sheets around me. He growled as he continued his relentless assault, clearly enjoying himself. I watched his body move… the way his muscles flexed beneath his tanned skin… the way his strong arms held me in place… the way his wild, black hair moved around him… and the sexy metal studs that decorated his body… everything about him turned me on. And the way he was pounding into me, growling over me, was so animalistic.

"Gajeel, I… Gajeel!" I screamed his name as my orgasm ruptured within me.

A laugh mingled in with his growls. "Yeah, that's right, Avi!" He pumped into me a few more times and his entire body tensed. "Yeah!" He rode out his own orgasm before pulling out and collapsing down beside me.

The world spun around me as I panted for air. I sat up to try and clear my head, but warm arms were quickly wrapped around me. He pulled me onto his lap so that I was straddling his waist. I looked down to see him grinning up at me, his red eyes blazing as his large hands rested on my hips.

"I'm not done with you, yet…" He rumbled. His thumbs caressed my hip bones and I shuddered at his touch.

I bit my lip as I looked at him. I wanted to kiss the metal studs on his chin… so I did. "What else did you have in mind?" I whispered.

His grin widened as he lifted me up and then dropped me back down, impaling me with his manhood. I shrieked at the sudden feeling, gripping onto his chest. He chuckled as he bucked his hips, hitting me even deeper within. As I adjusted to the penetration, I began to move, rocking my body against his and moving him in and out of me. He groaned at the feeling, gripping harder onto my hips. I was so overwhelmed with pleasure that I could barely maintain a decent pace. I'd start off slow, and speed up with a desperate need, and then slow back down when it all became too much.

"Oh, fuck, Avi… Stop being such a tease." Gajeel growled from below me. He had a bruising grip on my thighs now, and his head was tilted back as he groaned.

"You just…" It was hard to speak through my panting and moans. "..feel so good…" I groaned deeply as I felt the pressure winding tightly inside of my core. "…so fucking good."

He grabbed the back of my knees and wrapped my legs around him as he suddenly sat up. I gripped his shoulders as he started to shove his hips against mine, driving himself into me at an insane pace. The pressure in me immediately snapped and exploded around me. I screamed and my nails dug into his back.

"Gajeel!"

"Fuck your teasing." He growled out through clenched teeth, his muscles going into spasms as he emptied himself into me again.

Without so much as a pause, or even removing himself from me, he pressed me down onto my back, and continued thrusting. With his grip on the back of my knees, he pinned my legs down by my head, contorting my body. My head hung backward over the end of the bed, sending my blood rushing. I had one hand still on his shoulder, but the other tangled into the thick, black hair at the nape of his neck. I screamed until my throat was raw, barely able to withstand the euphoric pleasure that crashed over me in intense waves.

"Dammit, Avari! I fucking love your screams!" Gajeel yelled as he hammered into me.

"Fuck, Gajeel!" I screamed his name, feeling close to another orgasm.

"Hell, yeah, Avi! You know you like it!"

"I fucking like it, Gajeel!"

He bit down on my neck, and I cried out as another orgasm, the most intense yet, exploded through my senses. It rushed through me and left every part of me tingling. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. I was all sensation. I was vaguely aware of him growling my name as he pumped through his own orgasm. When he was finished, he pulled me from the end of the bed and up onto the pillows, letting us collapse next to each other.

My entire body was sore. Both my throat and womanhood were completely raw. I breathed heavily, listening to him breathing beside me, as well. My heart was racing in my chest. My thoughts were finally breaking through the haze of passion… and I was shocked by what I had done. I had allowed myself to give in to my instincts. I had thrown away my sense of reason and the lessons that I had learned… just for sex… very hot sex… with a very hot, sexy man… I shook my head. Meaningless sex… that's all it was. It meant nothing. It was just my primal urges. And he was a dragon slayer, too. So he had the same urges that I did. When I looked at it that way, I could see that the encounter was nearly unavoidable. Now I just couldn't let myself get attached. I couldn't let myself be susceptible to him. I couldn't be vulnerable. Not again…

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><p><strong>Ohhh…. So Avari had a sleepover with Gajeel… What do you think Avari's sister and the others will have to say about her staying out all night?<strong>

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><p><strong>icecreamnova, that does sound like Juvia! lol… Laxus will be in the next chapter :) And thank you! I really appreciate you reading and reviewing :D<strong>


	8. Chapter 8: The Challenge

Chapter 8: The Challenge

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><p>I was walking down the sidewalk with Gajeel and Pantherlily, lost in thought. Gray had gone off with Erza on a job, so I had a temporary relief of his over-protectiveness. And I had still managed to avoid my sister and the others, so I hadn't had to explain why I hadn't come home yet. I hoped that they hadn't even noticed and assumed that I had just left early this morning…<p>

"I'm telling you, Avari needs a cat!" Gajeel shouted down at Pantherlily.

"How many times do I have to tell you?!" Pantherlily shot back. "We're Exceeds, not cats!"

I giggled at them. "Gajeel, I told you… I don't need an Exceed."

"You're a dragon slayer. You need a cat!" He grumbled loudly.

"Exceed!" Pantherlily corrected.

Right about that time, we saw a huge bolt of lightning flashing in the distance, from the woods. We all turned to look.

"Laxus…" I whispered.

"Come on!" Gajeel grabbed my arm and took off running.

Surprised, there was nothing I could do but run along with him. We made our way through the trees, and out of nowhere, Natsu was running alongside us.

"Natsu?" I thought that he was back at the guild hall… with Lucy and that other girl, Michelle.

"Oh! Hey, Avi!" He smiled at me happily.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Gajeel snapped at him.

Natsu's smile fell from his face as he turned to Gajeel. "I'm gonna challenge Laxus!" He shouted with determination.

"Pft. Please! Like last time? When I had to save your ass?!"

"I didn't need your help last time! I could have beaten him on my own!"

"Yeah, it looked like you were doing real well… all charred, bleeding, and shit!"

Before they could finish their argument, Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe came into view. Ah, shit… The three of us skidded to a stop in front of them. Laxus had his back to us, but he was slowly turning to look and see who had come up behind him. Before he could even finish turning around, my sister began yelling.

"You! Where the hell were you last night?! We were worried sick!" She pointed at me accusingly.

I squinted my eyes against the rage that was boiling off of her and scratched the back of my head. "I, uh…"

"I stayed up all night waiting for you! And then I went out looking for you! Even Freed and Bickslow looked for you! We haven't gotten any sleep because we were so busy trying to find you! And you left without a word to any of us! Do you know how thoughtless that was?! Do you?!" She continued to scream.

I opened my mouth to answer, still unsure as to what I would say, but she started screaming again before I had even figured it out.

"And we've been looking for you all morning! You're lucky that Gray said that he saw you this morning or else we'd still be panicking over your safety! Honestly, Avari! How selfish can you be?! You need to let us know if you're going to be out all night!"

Even Gajeel and Natsu had shrunk back and were cowering behind me, fearful of her wrath. Freed and Bickslow stood at her sides, agreement on their faces. Laxus stood in the middle of us, looking back and forth between my sister and me with his brow raised.

"What the hell did you do, Avi?" Laxus asked, trying to figure out why my sister was so angry.

Again, I opened my mouth to answer, but was cut off by my sister.

"Oh, Laxus!" She flung herself onto him. "She snuck off last night without telling us, and then she never came home! We were all so worried!" Her attitude had changed from furious to distraught.

He looked at her with a bored expression. "She _is_ an adult, Ever…" He mumbled.

"But that doesn't mean she can wander off without even telling us!" She whined. Then she turned back to me with a glare. "And where were you, anyway?!"

My body tensed beneath her hard glare. For a moment I wondered if she had turned me to stone, then I realized that she was still wearing her glasses and that I could still move. Dammit, being stone would be so much easier.

Bickslow stormed across the distance between us and lifted me up by my shoulders. "Well?" His dolls echoed his demanding question.

"Um…" I rolled my eyes into the air, avoiding all eye contact.

"Avari…" Freed's voice was stern.

"Dammit!" I shouted, frustrated by my situation.

"Leave her alone." Laxus drawled in a bored tone.

My eyes darted down and met his. He wore a disinterested expression, but there was something else glimmering beneath his eyes.

Bickslow dropped me with a sigh.

I landed on my feet, but lost my balance, so I had to grab onto Bickslow's arm to catch myself. "Dammit, Bickslow!"

He laughed but he helped me stand up straight.

When everything settled back down, Natsu shouted, seeming to remember why he was here. "Laxus!" He pointed at him. "I want to challenge you! So that we can finally see exactly who's the strongest between us!"

"And I wanna challenge you, too!" Gajeel followed suit.

"No way!" Freed shouted back, jumping in front of Laxus, my sister and Bickslow at his sides. "Laxus doesn't need to waste his time with you. We'll be the ones to fight you!"

"No." Laxus spoke up. "I'll defeat them with my own two fists."

Freed caught Laxus' eyes and nodded, then they all stepped out of his way.

"So… I'll start with you, Natsu." Laxus smiled.

"Alright! I'm all fired up!" Natsu smiled back at him.

I made sure to give them plenty of room, moving back with everyone else as they prepared to fight. And then a girlish cry broke through the trees.

"Wait!" Wendy fell through, into the clearing, tripping forward over a large root.

I caught her so that she wouldn't fall, eyeing her to try and figure out why she was here. Carla wasn't far behind. Wendy struggled to catch her breath as everyone watched her and waited for her to explain herself.

"Thank you." She smiled at me as she straightened herself out of my arms.

"No problem… So why did you stop their fight?"

"Because!" She continued to smile. "A showdown like this should have a plan! It shouldn't be just a random battle… You need time to prepare for it!"

Everyone just stared at her questioningly, so she kept going.

"So…" Her smile faded as she seemed to lose a bit of confidence with everyone staring at her. "Why don't we… just have your fight tomorrow, instead? So it will be more sophisticated!"

Natsu pounded his fist into his palm. "I don't care when it is, I'll win either way!"

Laxus shrugged. "Sure, I don't care."

"Okay!" Natsu pointed at Laxus. "We'll fight tomorrow at the Sola Tree in South Gate Park."

Gajeel pointed at him next. "And then I'll fight you after that."

Laxus shrugged again and turned to walk away. "Whatever." He stopped as he was walking. Without turning he called out to me. "Come on, Avi."

My eyes widened, but I didn't hesitate. I ran after him and quickly made my way to his side. When I did, he resumed walking, and we left everyone behind as we headed further into the trees.

* * *

><p>Only after I had walked with him for a while did I realized that I had followed yet another command… like a pathetic little puppy. What the hell was wrong with me? I sighed. It was because of Erik… I really had to break this habit.<p>

"So, how have you been?" Laxus asked once we had reached the river. He sat down near it and leaned against a boulder, gesturing for me to do the same.

I remembered that he knew nearly everything… and I felt exposed. I sat down next to him and watched the water flowing in front of us. "Okay, I guess… As you can see, my sister has been kind of protective… as well as the others."

He chuckled. "She can go a bit over board. But I'm glad that they're looking out for you."

I smiled. "Yeah. It's nice to be around people that care…"

"And what about your nightmares?"

I laughed. "Laxus, you saw me have one nightmare, that doesn't mean that they're a consistent thing…"

"But they are, aren't they?" He turned to face me and looked at me knowingly.

I saw him from the corner of my eye. "Yeah… well." I sighed. "By the way… Thank you for telling Freed to, you know, keep an eye out for them."

"Of course."

"I don't have them all the time… but when I do, it's a relief to have someone there."

He nodded.

Some moments of silence passed before he fully turned to me and set me in a heavy stare. Curious, I tore my gaze from the river and turned to face him.

"So… where were you last night?" His tone was stern.

Dammit… not him, too! I sighed. "Laxus…"

"Don't play with me, Avari." He rolled his eyes. "I know that you were with Gajeel. I can smell him all over you."

I groaned. "Then why did you ask?"

"Because I want you to tell me why." His eyes softened a little. "You can talk to me, Avi. I thought that you knew that…"

I bit the inside of my cheek. I had a strange relationship with Laxus. I still wasn't sure why I had told him about Erik… It's just that, he was the first one that I had seen after I regained my freedom. And in spite of the fact that I didn't want to let anyone in, I needed to be able to rely on someone… And I had always admired Laxus. When I looked into his eyes, I knew that I could trust him. "Things have just been… so overwhelming, I guess. And it's not like I ended up with him on purpose… We ran into each other and went out for a drink. And then it was so late that I didn't want to go home and… jeez this sounds awful… I didn't want to deal with Evergreen and her relentless questions. I know that she's just trying to look after me, but I don't want her to know every detail of my life. So, somehow, since we were kinda drunk I guess… I ended up with Gajeel… and you know how bad dragon urges can be! So, yeah…" I trailed off.

His face was a mask. "So you really haven't told anyone else… about what happened with you?"

"No. You're the only one who knows." I answered him softly. "Though there are some who can tell that something's up with me… They say I'm not the same… Like my sister, of course. And Freed, since he's been with me through my nightmares. And Gray has asked me about it. I'm sure others have noticed, too… I try to hide it, but… it's hard to act like the person that I used to be, when I'm just not that person anymore."

He sighed. "Avari, you shouldn't have to hide anything."

I met his eyes. "But I do, Laxus. I have to hide everything. I don't want anyone to know…" I could feel tears building up in my eyes.

He quickly gathered me up in his arms and pulled me into his lap. "Shhh… It's alright, Avi. I'm here." He mumbled into my hair.

I laid my head into his chest and tried to steady my breathing.

"Avi… how much are you hiding from me?" He spoke so quietly that I wasn't even sure if I heard him correctly, or if I was even meant to hear him at all.

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><p><strong>In the next chapter, someone starts stalking Avari... can anyone guess who the stalker is?<strong>

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><p><strong>icecreamnova, thank you so much! Well the only one who found out was Laxus… but her sister and the others were quite suspicious! Thank you for reviewing! :)<strong>


	9. Chapter 9: A Strange Feeling

Chapter 9: A Strange Feeling

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><p>"What's all of this?" I looked around the park and eyeballed all of the food stands, entertainment, and crowds of people.<p>

"It's a festival!" Mirajane proclaimed proudly. "For the fight between Laxus, Natsu, and Gajeel!"

I smiled at her enthusiasm. And then I spotted turkey legs and ran off after them. Yum.

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><p>Laxus arrived right on time, the Thunder God Tribe crowding around him. Natsu was grinning and ready to fight. Gajeel stood beside me, also grinning. I watched as Laxus and Natsu stepped toward each other, their magic energy swirling around them. Adrenaline and excitement rushed through me, and suddenly I wished that <em>I<em> had challenged somebody to a fight. Natsu charged Laxus, his fist raised, ready to strike and an epic battle cry coming from his mouth… and Laxus downed him in one hit. Natsu hit the ground hard, landing in a body-shaped crater. I giggled at how easily it had been for Laxus to take him out. Laxus lifted his head and turned, ready to take on Gajeel next. I looked to my side, only to find myself alone. Gajeel had disappeared. The hell?

"Where the hell did he go?!" Pantherlily yelled.

"He ran from battle! How unmanly!" Elfman shouted.

I burst into laughter. Gajeel had seriously run from Laxus! Everyone clambered about, forming search parties to go and look for him. I laughed harder when I heard Pantherlily going on about how he had lost all respect for Gajeel. Somewhere in the commotion, Laxus and the others had walked off. I decided I didn't care to look for Gajeel. So I went home.

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><p>I was at home with my sister and the others when a strange feeling came over me. It was a cold fear, like ice splintering through my veins. I felt like I was being watched… like I was being scrutinized by unfriendly eyes. I looked around the room, seeing Bickslow on the couch beside me and Freed across the room, reading a book. My sister was at the table, painting her nails. I was safe. I didn't feel safe. I scooted closer to Bickslow and leaned against him, trying not to let my fear show in my eyes.<p>

"Awww, does little Avi wanna cuddle?!" He shouted happily and wrapped his arms around me, snuggling his cheek against the top of my head.

For once, I was grateful for Bickslow's weirdness. I curled into his body and tried to hide from the outside world. It seemed like a cold, dark aura was seeping in through the windows, trying to reach me. In Bickslow's arms, I found some relief. He laughed and clutched onto me tightly, his carefree attitude providing a combating warmth to the cold that was plaguing me. I relished in it.

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><p>That feeling had not left me. I refused to sleep alone, which was fine, since Freed had made it a habit of sleeping in my bed when I needed him. But I also refused to leave the house, which drew the concern of the others. I had blown off all of their questions, and when Evergreen demanded answers, I hid in my room and locked the door.<p>

"Avari!" She pounded on the door. "Tell me what's wrong!"

"I told you that I'm fine, Evergreen!"

"You are not fine! If you were fine then you'd leave the house! And you'd sleep alone! And you wouldn't cuddle Bickslow!" She shouted indignantly.

I groaned, burying my head beneath a pillow. "And if I wanted to talk about it then I would!"

"Don't worry, Avi! I love cuddling you!" Bickslow shouted from somewhere in the house, clearly able to hear our conversation. "And I'm sure Freed doesn't mind sleeping with you! I sure as hell wouldn't!" He added with a wicked laugh.

"Dammit Bickslow!" I yelled back at him, feeling myself blush at his implications.

Freed coughed from the other side of the wall that connected our rooms. "Avari, you really should tell us what's wrong. We're only worried about you, you know." He tried to get the subject back on track.

Great. Now they were all talking at me through the walls and doors. Gah! "I love all of you and thank you for your concern! But I just want to be left alone!"

Evergreen screamed in frustration before stomping away, dropping it… for now.

As soon as it was quiet, the eerie feeling crept back over me. I buried myself in my bed, wishing that it would just go away… whatever it was.

* * *

><p>Gray had come by to check on me, and I had let him in, but I had only told him that I hadn't been feeling well. He didn't buy my excuse, but he seemed very distracted by everything that had been going on with the guild.<p>

Apparently, some religious group had attacked and stolen the memento that Lucy's father had left her. And it turns out that the memento was actually a piece of a clock or something, and it was related to a book that Lucy had. They had all decided to go off and look for the rest of the pieces. Gray was about to leave with Juvia, and he wanted me to come with him. I refused, of course. I felt bad… the guild was going through all of this trouble, and I wasn't even helping them. I should be there for them. But here I was, hiding in my house like a scared little child… and all over something that I couldn't even see. What the hell was wrong with me?

After several failed attempts at persuading, Gray finally conceded. "Fine." He sighed. "But will you at least tell me what's wrong with you?"

I looked down towards the floor, clutching my pillow to my chest. We were in my room, so that no one would interrupt us. I was leaning on my headboard and he was sitting on the edge of my bed beside me, at my waist.

"Avari… Evergreen told me that you haven't left the house. And looking at you now… Something's wrong! Just tell me so that I can help you." He was starting to get frustrated.

I couldn't understand… he was already busy helping everyone else. Why would he want to help me? "I'm sorry, Gray… I just…" I sighed, unable to think of anything to say.

He sighed too, very heavily. He ran a hand through his hair before leaning over me, his arm landing on the other side of my waist, trapping me under him. His other hand raised up to caress my cheek. "Avari, you don't have to go through everything alone. I'm here for you. I want to help you."

I bit my lip as I stared into his eyes… they were so sincere. He used his thumb to pull my lip from my teeth… and then he leaned in and kissed me. He pulled the pillow from my hands as he climbed further onto the bed and hovered over me, placing his body in its place. I returned his kiss, hesitantly, as my hands slowly found their way to his back. His motions were soft and tentative, his fingers delicate as they ran through my hair and across my skin. I felt his tongue push past my lips and into my mouth. It was a beautiful feeling. Our tongues twirled together as our bodies pressed closer to one another.

I was breathless when he pulled away. I even felt a little dazed. I looked up into his smoldering eyes and my heart pounded against my chest.

"Please, Avi…" He whispered, pressing his forehead against mine. "Just tell me what's bothering you… And I'll do whatever I can to fix it."

I blinked as I processed his words. And then I smiled softly. "I can't tell you, Gray… because I don't even know, myself."

A slight frown formed on his face. "Then why are you hiding? Why won't you leave the house?"

"I'm scared…" I whispered truthfully, before I could think enough to stop myself. And then I mentally cursed myself for letting that slip.

He cupped my face in his hand and caressed my temple with his thumb. "But you don't know what you're scared of?"

I was surprised when he didn't make fun of me for being scared. Instead, he was just trying to figure it out. "No…" I said, ashamed. "I just feel terrified… especially when I'm alone."

"But you're not alone, Avi. And I told you that I'm here for you. Whatever it is that's making you feel this way, I'll protect you from it." He seemed so confident… and so genuine. "And I'm not the only one. You're a part of Fairy Tail, remember?" He smiled as he said that last part.

I managed to smile back at him. "Thank you, Gray…"

* * *

><p>Gray had finally left to go on his mission, still reluctant to leave without me. But I had felt better since I had seen him. But there was still the strange sensation that I was being watched… by something dark.<p>

Freed had come back from the guild hall with a mission for the Thunder God Tribe and they wanted me to come along, but I felt conflicted. On one hand, I still did not fancy the idea of leaving the house. On the other, I did not want to be left alone. Then I remembered what Gray had said. I wasn't alone. I was a member of Fairy Tail. So I decided that I did not want to go on the mission with them, and that I did not want to stay in the house, either. I wasn't going to let an unknown fear dictate my actions. So I assured them that I would be fine and helped them pack for their mission. By the time they left, night was falling. I watched them leave, wishing them good luck, and headed for the guild hall.

As I progressed, however, the sick feeling returned, and only increased. The more I tried to ignore it, the worse that it got. It felt like something was breathing down my neck… like I was being hunted. I quickened my pace. I kept looking over my shoulder, but only saw shadows and trees in the night. I had made it to the fields that surrounded the guild hall, and it was a long stretch before I would make it there. I hurried along the dirt road, watching every direction. I turned to look behind me again, and I bumped into something hard, falling backward.

Strong arms caught me and held me up. Large hands held a firm grasp on my arms. A deep chuckle sounded and I turned slowly, just as a husky voice sounded in the dark. "My Avari… I've finally caught you." A sinister grin spread across his face and his teeth glinted in the moonlight. "And now we can be together again."

I trembled in horror. My entire body shook in his unrelenting hold. I felt chills running throughout my veins. I struggled to breathe. How? How could he be here? "Erik…" I heard myself whisper, completely disbelieving.

I heard him laugh. And then everything went black.

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><p><strong>So what do you think Erik will do now that he's found Avari?<strong>

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><p><strong>icecreamnova, he sees her as a woman and he finds her attractive, but he became kind of protective over her after hearing her story… if that makes sense ;)<strong>

**Guest, thank you so much! :)**


	10. Chapter 10: Lost Time

Chapter 10: Lost Time

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><p>I woke up with a terrible headache. I opened my eyes, only to find that I had been blindfolded. Pure terror rushed through me. I wanted to scream with it. But apparently I had been gagged, as well. How the hell had this happened? Erik… I had been taken by Erik! I tried to move, but my hands and legs were tied. My magic energy was being restrained, and I realized that the room that I was in had been built with Magic Sealing Stones. What was I going to do? My sister and the others were gone, and everyone else thought that I had locked myself at home… No one would know… No one would know that I had been taken. Desperation crawled through me, and I heard myself whimper in defeat.<p>

"Oh. Are you awake, my love?" Erik's voice sounded somewhere nearby.

I squirmed against my restraints, trying to get away from him, knowing that it was useless. I was able to sit up, but I felt my back hit a wall.

The blindfold was lifted from my eyes and I squinted against the light. When I was able to focus, his face filled my vision. He had changed over the years… He was missing an eye, for one thing, with a straight scar in its place. His hair was wilder, more untamed, but it still stood straight on his head. There was an even greater darkness in his eyes. He was smirking, but I could tell that a rage slithered just beneath, like a feral beast, ready to break through. And yet he was just as composed as ever. His strong body held with refined posture, exuding pride and arrogance.

"Did you miss me, Avari?" He whispered as he leaned further in.

I felt tears pooling in my eyes.

He smiled as he caressed my cheek. "You're just as beautiful as ever…"

He pulled the gag from my mouth and crushed his lips against mine, slamming my head into the wall behind me. His tongue invaded my mouth and thrashed inside of it. I felt his hands groping over my body, squeezing in bruising holds. He pulled away, and I gasped for air.

"Speak to me, Avari. I want to hear your voice." He demanded, staring into my eyes.

I didn't know what to say. But I knew that if I didn't say something, and fast, that he would punish me… seven years may have passed, but, he still seemed the same. "Erik, I… How?" I wanted to ask how he had escaped the Magic Council, but I was afraid that would anger him. "How are we together, now?" I thought that maybe he would like that question better.

He grinned. "It's great, isn't it? I've waited seven long years to get you back, Avi… and here you are. I can't believe you disappeared on me like that." He frowned when he said his last sentence.

I felt the need to defend myself. "I'm sorry, Erik. We- I mean I- I was trapped on an island… in a state of stasis. Time didn't pass for me."

"So I've heard." He rolled his eyes. "All because you had to go running back to those Fairy Tail punks."

I felt anger spark in me at the insult to my guild. "They took care of me… after you got yourself caught." I smarted off before I could think about it.

Sharp pain lanced through my cheek as my head flung to the side. I blinked my vision clear as I realized that he had back handed me. I tasted blood in my mouth.

"I wouldn't have gotten caught if it hadn't been for fucking Fairy Tail!" He shouted angrily as he stood up in front of me.

I glared up at him. "You wouldn't have gotten caught if you hadn't tried to unleash Nirvana! It's your own fault for fucking with dark magic!" I spouted out, yelling without even realizing it.

His eyes widened and he seemed taken back by my outburst. That was before he grabbed me up by my hair and slammed me against the wall. "What the hell has gotten into you?!"

The anger that I had felt subsided, and I withered beneath him. Even then, I couldn't bring myself to apologize. He growled angrily and threw me to the side. Unable to brace myself, I fell helplessly to the floor, landing painfully on my hip and shoulder before my head smashed against the hardwood. I cried out from the pain, my vision blurring momentarily.

"Dammit!" He yelled furiously. "Fuck, Avari! You just have to piss me off, don't you?!" He pulled me up from the ground by my shoulders, and I yelped as he squeezed the fresh bruise. "Why can't you ever just cooperate?!"

I hung helplessly in his grasp, trying to hold in my cries of pain.

"Ugh! It's our first time together in seven years and instead of it being a nice fucking reunion, you have to run your damn mouth!" He shook me in his rage, and I couldn't keep from shrieking. "Just learn to shut your fucking attitude, will you?!"

Pain shot from my head, shoulder, and hip. My vision was blurred, but I think it was from tears. I could still taste blood, and it was making me nauseous. I just wanted him to stop. "I'm sorry, Erik… I'm so sorry. I just missed you so much…" I whimpered through my cries.

He huffed. "And how do you think I felt?!" He still held me in the air, but he stopped shaking me. "I was rotting away in that fucking prison for seven years! And then I finally get out, just to find that you moved on to Fairy Tail, the very guild that put me in there! And to top it all off, Cubellios is missing! So not only do I have to fucking kidnap you to get you back, I have to fucking find Cubellios!" He shouted right into my face, apparently blaming me for everything.

"What did you expect me to do, Erik?" I whispered, regretting it instantly.

"You should have fucking kept Cubellios with you! And waited for me, dammit!" He hurled me to the floor again, lost to his rage.

I landed on my back, crushing my own hands since they were still tied behind me, and my breath was knocked from me. I wasn't thrown as far this time, but the impact still hurt. As soon as I could, I heaved in enough air to fill my lungs. The effort sent sparks of pain through my body. I tried not to move my head, because it was aching so severely. I wanted to move my arms to try and relieve my shoulder, but it wasn't possible. I stared at the ceiling, my head swimming with thoughts.

So… not only had he lost me, but he'd also lost Cubellios. He and Cubellios had been together since he was a child, and she meant a lot to him. He must be feeling great pain right now… That's why he was so angry. I could understand that. I knew what it was like to lose someone that I loved.

"Erik…" I whispered, the effort of talking making my head pound. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that Cubellios was gone. I should have stayed with her…" I felt saddened, pained by his pain. "But I'll help you find her… if I can." I wanted to, but I wasn't sure if I would be allowed to. "I'm so sorry, Erik."

He took a breath. And then I heard him walking toward me. He scooped me up into his arms and I bit my lip to keep from crying in pain. He walked over to the bed and sat down, cradling me to his chest. "I'm sorry, Avari… I lost my temper… But you're usually understanding, and… you just pissed me off…" He grumbled, pulling me closer to him.

I nuzzled his chest, in spite of the pain that lanced through me at the motion. "I'm sorry, Erik. I really am."

He rocked me in his arms for a while, and eventually my pain dulled, leaving me with only a throbbing headache. I inhaled his scent, and I found that it was comforting. Had I really missed him? He moved to undo the rope around my wrists, freeing my arms. As soon as they were free, I wrapped them around his shoulders, drawing myself closer to him. He turned his head and smiled into my neck.

"Avi…" He whispered, his breath tickling my neck. "I missed you so much…"

I ran my fingers across the nape of his neck. "I missed you, too." The words came out on their own. I wondered how much I meant them.

He untied my legs as he pressed his lips to my collarbone. He tossed the ropes aside and then ran his hands over my calves and thighs. The skin to skin contact was warm and arousing. I laced a hand through his thick, red hair… quickly losing myself. Everything about him was so familiar… his scent, his skin, his body… the way he held me… the way he touched me… I had loved him… at one time. Did I still love him? No… I couldn't.

"Avari..."

I melted when he said my name. His voice was so deep and alluring. And then his hot, soft lips met mine, and I was completely lost. He pushed me down against the mattress as his tongue found its way into my mouth. I moaned as his tongue ravaged every part of my mouth. He had a hand on my thigh, which he used to pull me closer to him. His other hand was running along my curves, gripping in all of the right places. He was rough… his calloused hands were warm and demanding. But I reveled in his touch. His hand crept beneath my skirt and I gasped when his fingers shoved my panties to the side so that he could tease my entrance.

He chuckled breathily into my ear. "You're fucking soaked."

I shivered as his warm breath brushed against my ear and neck. "That's because I've missed you…"

He grinned as he swept his fingers over me again before bringing them to his mouth, licking my juices off of them as he watched me. "Then show me… Show me just how much you missed me." He growled the words seductively.

Then he sat back onto his legs and pulled me up by my hair. He shoved my face down towards his crotch, and I knew exactly what he wanted. I bent down and undid his pants, letting his long, thick erection spring out. I licked from the bottom to the top, feeling his hard member twitch beneath my tongue. He growled, and I took the tip into my mouth, sucking gently. He did not like teasing… he never had… but I really was enjoying the taste. When he growled again, I got the hint, and I took more of him into my mouth. I swirled my tongue around him as I bobbed my head, earning groans now. I moved a hand to caress his balls, still bobbing as much of him as I could handle without gagging. He continued to groan and his hands fisted into my hair. I grazed him with my teeth, and his body jerked in response.

"Oh, Avi…" He groaned out my name… and I knew what was coming next.

He slammed my head down onto his cock, forcing me to deep throat him. I tried my best not to gag, but it was nearly unavoidable as he pumped himself into the back of my throat, finally coming with full force. I swallowed as much as I could, but somehow some of it ended up on my face and drizzled down my chin and neck.

He pushed me back onto the bed and grinned down on me. "You're so fucking sexy when you've covered in my come…"

And then his lips smashed against mine as his hands moved to rip off my clothes. I felt myself moving to remove his clothes, as well. And then we were both naked… his hot, rough skin moving against mine… his firm, toned muscles… I was breathing heavily just from the feel of him. He didn't waste any time… he pulled my legs around him and then plunged himself into me. I screamed as my insides stretched around him. He was already thrusting in and out.

"Say my name." He growled out. "Scream my name!"

"Erik!" I screamed out, my fingers digging into his back. "Oh, Erik!"

He bit down into my neck… my shoulder… my breast… I could feel skin breaking and bruises forming, but I didn't care.

"Mhm, Erik, please!" I cried out, my body arching against him.

He groaned as he bit my lip, dragging it through his teeth. "Come for me, Avi."

He pinched my clit, and I screamed as I drug my nails across his bag, experiencing a very intense orgasm. "Fuck, Erik, yes!"

He sped up his pace, body tensing as his teeth clamped down on my collar bone. "Fuck, Avari!" He growled against my skin as he emptied himself inside of me.

He rested his body on top of mine, still breathing heavily. I reached up to lace my fingers in his soft hair while I used my other hand to caress the muscles in his back. He turned his head and kissed my jaw.

With a smirk, he whispered. "We're going to have so much fun making up for lost time."

* * *

><p><strong>So do you think Avari might still have some feelings for him? Hmmm…<strong>

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><p><strong>icecreamnova, lol, thank you! I love Bickslow, he always cracks me up :)<strong>


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